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Autism assessment waiting list

John878990



Hey everyone Wave

So today my psychiatrist said he suspects I might be autistic and recommended going for an assessment.

I agreed to the referral, but then he told me the current wait time is around 4 years and 8 months Flushed

Is that normal?! Has anyone else been through this recently and can share what your timeline looked like?

Just trying to figure out if this is typical or if something’s gone a bit mad with the system.

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences. To be honest, it all sounds pretty stressful—and I’m not keen on the idea of just being handed antidepressants as a quick fix to mask what might actually be a broader health condition.

Also I'm wondering if the psychiatrist might’ve regretted starting the referral, and maybe was subtly encouraged to stretch the process out so I’d eventually give up on it altogether.

Thanks all

Parents

  • Hi, I am new to the community myself but I related with your post and thought sharing my experience may be helpful. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety 10 years ago. My GP's response was to medicate with anti-depressants and referrals to talking therapies. For short periods it did help me but the demand of society, work and home life plus maintaining relationships soon had me burning out jumping from job to job. 

    In the long run I feel it only made my mental health worse until I suffered from a major depressive episode in the workplace.

    I started to suspect this was more than 'depression and anxiety' and began researching into Autism and ADHD in Adults. I then received an emergency assessment from the crisis team who stated that I showed signs of being on the Autism spectrum and put a referral in to put me on the waiting list for an official diagnosis. 

    I have been waiting over two years now and heard others waiting much longer. At times it can be frustrating but doing my own research to understand this side of myself has helped. Knowing my strengths and weaknesses, taking the mask i wore to attempt to fit in among my peers resulted in improved mental health and clarity.

    I have come to accept my quirks and traits and plan to keep chasing up a diagnosis and started to reach out to my local and national communities for support.

    Hence; why I have signed up to this community.

    I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

    Shine bright!

Reply

  • Hi, I am new to the community myself but I related with your post and thought sharing my experience may be helpful. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety 10 years ago. My GP's response was to medicate with anti-depressants and referrals to talking therapies. For short periods it did help me but the demand of society, work and home life plus maintaining relationships soon had me burning out jumping from job to job. 

    In the long run I feel it only made my mental health worse until I suffered from a major depressive episode in the workplace.

    I started to suspect this was more than 'depression and anxiety' and began researching into Autism and ADHD in Adults. I then received an emergency assessment from the crisis team who stated that I showed signs of being on the Autism spectrum and put a referral in to put me on the waiting list for an official diagnosis. 

    I have been waiting over two years now and heard others waiting much longer. At times it can be frustrating but doing my own research to understand this side of myself has helped. Knowing my strengths and weaknesses, taking the mask i wore to attempt to fit in among my peers resulted in improved mental health and clarity.

    I have come to accept my quirks and traits and plan to keep chasing up a diagnosis and started to reach out to my local and national communities for support.

    Hence; why I have signed up to this community.

    I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

    Shine bright!

Children
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